Page 80 of The Devil's Pawn

Alexander must be ambidextrous because he’s eating his soup with his left hand while fingering me with his right, and all the while maintaining his composure.

I’m a few seconds away from coming when Vicky knocks over her glass of wine. It lands in my lap, soaking me. As I jump up, Alexander’s fingers slip out of me, and I bang my knee on the underside of the table.

“Ow.”

“Oh, my God, Imogen. I’m so sorry.” Vicky grabs her napkin and dabs at my soaking dress. “I’m such a klutz.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The dress will survive,but I’m not sure I will. My body is crying out for release. So close. So… close.

“I’ll go and get changed. Excuse me.”

“I’ll help you.” Vicky hustles me out of the dining room, still uttering apologies, but as soon as we move out of earshot, she flashes me an awkward look. “I hope I did the right thing.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I saw what Alexander was doing to you. Ugh. What a pig.”

“So, you… you spilled the wine on purpose?”

“Yes.” She grimaces. “Sorry about your dress. It’s only white wine, so it should wash out all right.”

A laugh bursts out of me, and once I start, I can’t stop. “Oh, Vicky, you are such a good friend, but I was fine.”

Her lips purse, the action reminiscent of sucking on an extra tart lemon, and what Tobias said about her at the ball comes back to me, making me laugh even harder.

“You… liked that?”

I grin. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Her nose wrinkles. “Hard pass.”

“You sure? What if it was, oh, I don’t know… Nicholas?”

It’s a risk, but I want her to know she can talk to me. After what she saw Alexander doing to me in the dining room, we’re past the point of embarrassment.

“Nicholas is marrying my sister.”

“I’m aware. But… do you wish he was marrying you?”

The slight hesitation before she answers must only last a second, but it’s enough for me to know I’m right.

“Like I said to you on Tuesday, Beth will make the perfect wife for Nicholas. That’s why he chose her over me, and my parents agreed.”

“But…”

She sighs, her shoulders rounding. “It’s for the best.”

“For who? Not for you.”

Her smile is tinged with so much sadness, it breaks my heart. “I’ve never told anyone this, but you’re right. I’m in love with Nicholas. I have been for a long time, but there’s nothing to be done. When Elizabeth turns twenty-one, they’ll marry.” She shrugs. “He made his choice, and it wasn’t me. As far as Nicholas is concerned, I don’t exist.”

Despite my damp clothing, I pull her in for a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

She clings to me for a moment, then lets me go and shrugs. “It is what it is. I love Nicholas, but I love my sister more, and as long as he treats her right, I’ll have no complaints.” With a grin, she adds, “And that means no fingering her underneath the table at a family dinner.”

I bite my lip, chuckling. “We’re besties now.”

She links her arm with mine and heads for the stairs. “Besties.”

---